


Like Water Falling

by Redisaid



Series: When We Were Falling [1]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft
Genre: And some introspection cuz why not, Baby Mage Jaina, F/F, Fluff, Prompt Fic, Ranger General Sylvanas, That's right it's a Falling side story, let Sylvanas have a turn with the POV c'mon!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 19:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17772569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redisaid/pseuds/Redisaid
Summary: My Valentine's prompt fic! My prompt was "picnic", so please enjoy some harmless fluff set earlier in the Falling series, probably somewhere in the middle of Falling Stars?





	Like Water Falling

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Falling Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17265503) by [Redisaid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redisaid/pseuds/Redisaid). 



“I said I don’t like surprises.”

Jaina seemed to note this, but didn’t respond. She just tied a second knot, tighter this time.

“I especially don’t like surprises where I have to be blindfolded,” Sylvanas continued to protest. Her ears flicked rather dramatically to emphasize this, even though the movement was entirely out of her control. In this instance, she didn’t mind their betrayal. 

But Jaina just laughed a placed a little kiss on her temple before she finally replied. “That’s just too bad, isn’t it?”

Sylvanas knew that if she truly did not want to have her eyes covered, she could easily tell Jaina. She knew that if it were a problem, then it wouldn’t be anymore with just a word. But for her, for the delight that rode along on that laugh, she would endure it. 

She would also not tell her that she could easily navigate by sound and touch alone. She would also not tell her that, to her keen elven eyes, this cloth wasn’t as opaque as she thought it was. She would also not tell her that she could hear the rush of water just maybe a quarter of a mile off, and knew exactly where their destination probably was.

No, she would not tell Jaina that she’d scouted out that lovely little waterfall to show her one of these days, instead of the other way around. Sylvanas would let her have it. 

“I suppose, I’ll just have to trust you,” she said, trying to make exasperation drip from her voice.

“You will,” Jaina told her as she took her hand and started leading her along the banks of the stream again. “And you’ll be cursing me and my clumsy feet until we arrive, but you will let me surprise you, Sylvanas. I am determined.”

She understood. She was very hard to surprise, but it was just her nature. Sylvanas liked to be prepared. She liked to know things. Even when there wasn’t a battle to be fought or a war to be won, she was always sizing up the terrain around her for advantages, or doing her best to learn about what she was encountering for the day.

She tried to pull that back with Jaina. She really did. That was part of what drew her to the young mage after all, her freedom of thought, her constantly whirling interests, descending fiercely like a storm, and moving on just as quickly as one. Some might see it as a lack of focus, but to Sylvanas, it was as refreshing as the crisp mountain air here in Alterac. She was so used to her own focus, her own narrow band of thoughts and feelings. So no, she might not end up being surprised, but she would always be entertained. And something else. Right. Of course. Happy.

Jaina made her happy in a way that she hadn’t been for many years now.

She offered the hand in hers a reassuring squeeze as Jaina hesitated for a moment. As if that had been necessary, she felt it tug her again and pull her across the stream. 

Sylvanas made a show of yelping as her boots hit the cold water, but she knew it was coming. She could tell from the change in the texture of the mud beneath her feet, and of course from the near-deafening sound of the water. Even this little babbling book had quite a bit to say, if you had the right ears to hear it. 

But Jaina laughed again and held tighter to her. 

“You’d best not be leading me off a cliff next time,” Sylvanas warned even as she had to resist joining in with that infectious little laugh.

“You’re telling me that you can’t fly? But you seem to be able to do just about everything else better than everyone else,” Jaina snarked as she continued pulling them forward.

“There are plenty of things I don’t do well,” Sylvanas told her.

“Name three,” Jaina dared her.

They were getting further from the stream. Hmm, curious. Had she found another way up then? Probably one that didn’t require as much climbing skill. Sylvanas had enjoyed the early morning she’d spent picking her way across the boulders when she found her own path up to the waterfall. Somehow, she couldn’t picture Jaina doing the same.

“I’m a sore loser,” Sylvanas answered. “So that’s one. Ask Vereesa about that sometime. She will happily agree.”

“Well, that’s pretty obvious. I guess I’ll let that count. Two more then,” Jaina demanded.

“Oh, here’s one you’ll love. I get seasick. Horribly seasick. All the more reason for me to be the one to stay at home and defend it. I can avoid ships easily that way,” Sylvanas confessed.

“Pfft, a land lover then, huh?” Jaina scoffed. “Did you try drinking wine before a voyage? Eating spicy food?”

“Nothing works,” Sylvanas assured her. “I would sooner swim across the sea than sail.”

“Now that’s truly unfortunate for you. What’s the third then?”

Oh there were more than three. Plenty more. Plenty Jaina didn’t need to know. Plenty Sylvanas wasn’t ready for her to know. Plenty she would find out in time.

“See, you can’t even think of a third,” Jaina jeered at her hesitation. 

She pulled her upwards now. Sylvanas felt the harsh resistance of rock under her feet, but the steps were even and shallow and not at all difficult for her to follow, even with her eyes covered. Yes, Jaina had found a much easier way up. She was more than a little proud of her. 

“It’s not that,” Sylvanas assured her.

“Nope, you’re too perfect. That’s fine. Your only flaws are your stubborn need to be the best and your senseless fear of the ocean,” Jaina teased.

“I am not afraid of the ocean. If anything, it’s just so afraid of me that it has conspired to find a way to weaken me,” Sylvanas offered. 

“A third thing, then,” Jaina bade her. “Enlighten me. We’re nearly there.”

They were. Sylvanas could hear the falls thundering not too far off. 

“I’ll tell you when I get to see what’s in that basket you’re carrying,” Sylvanas answered instead.

Her nose told her there was definitely some sort of fresh bread, but other than that, she was clueless. Scent wasn’t as empowered as her other senses were, sadly. She was probably even with Jaina in that department. 

Jaina laughed again. “You’re that hungry then, huh?”

“I can’t tell you when the last time I had a picnic was,” Sylvanas told her, trying to complete the distraction. 

It was true, though. Alleria would take them for picnics. She would make a show of stealing all the good things from the kitchen and scoop up her younger siblings for the day. 

How long ago had that been? How many years had passed? How many of those smiles had she outgrown, then outlived?

But that’s why she liked Jaina. Jaina reminded her that people still had picnics. They could still laugh and joke and forget. They could be something besides what they needed to be.

“Careful now,” Jaina said as she yanked up on Sylvanas’ arm. She placed her hand on the edge of the ledge to let her get a feel for it. 

Sylvanas found a smile tugging on her own lips as she easily vaulted up over the ledge. Jaina was doing a fine job at leading her. Even for all her banter, she had been quite considerate. 

And that was what confused her. Typically, once anyone got a glimpse of what lay under the shine and veneer of the Ranger General’s armor, they would soon find an excuse to run quickly in the other direction. But Jaina did not. She continued to chip away, and seemed to cherish each flaw that she found. Her reverent fingers traced scars others would take care to avoid. She seemed to catalogue everything that wasn’t that shine, that prepared grace, and bottled it up, only to admire it like a child with a prized rock collection.

Who did that even?

“Stop right there,” Jaina said as she released her hand. “Just...don’t move for a minute or two.”

Sylvanas complied, finding herself easily falling into parade rest as she waited. The falls were loud and close. The sun was high and warm above her, heating the tips of her ears as they pointed skyward, alert and listening--always listening. 

She didn’t tell Jaina she knew she was spreading a blanket on the ground. She didn’t tell Jaina she knew she could hear the clack of a wooden plate, or the cork of the wine bottle being popped. She certainly didn’t tell Jaina that she couldn’t remember the last time someone went through so much trouble for her that wouldn’t otherwise benefit from it in some form of social graces or political means.

She didn't tell her how much that meant to her. 

She only melted into the kiss she knew was coming when Jaina's impossibly loud steps gave her away, not to mention the warm breath that tickled against her nose. Sylvanas reveled in the eager fingers that curled through her hair, though only for a moment, before they moved to untie the blindfold.

“Surprise,” Jaina said as it came free.

The falls were just as lovely as the first time she'd seen them, as was the wildflower dotted meadow that lay below them. Jaina had set them up just beyond the cold spray of the water, on a new blanket she must have brought along just for the occasion. On it was a plate of sliced bread, cheese, and cured meats. Next to that was a bottle of wine and two glasses waiting to be filled with it. 

But that wasn't where Sylvanas’ gaze stayed. No, she took it all in briefly, then looked right back at Jaina. Her golden hair was whipping around her in the wind. Her cheeks were pink with the extortion of the climb. Her blue eyes were bright and hopeful.

And she was happy. Happy to be here. Happy to do all of this for her. 

“Beautiful,” was her reply to it all.

Jaina turned back to the falls again. “Isn’t it? I thought this stream came from another ground spring, but I followed it up here and knew that I had to share. I'm sure you heard it, though.”

“Oh, maybe a little,” Sylvanas teased. 

They sat on the blanket. They drank the wine. They ate the bread and cheese and meat. They talked and laughed and kissed and brushed hands far too often. They were not worried about their lives, about their responsibilities in the world below these mountains. At least, not for a while.

Sylvanas was finding it easier and easier to forget those things. It was dangerously easy, actually.

Their lunch devoured, Jaina had settled on showing Sylvanas how to fashion a daisy chain crown out of the wildflowers that surrounded them. She proved a patient student, but she, as any just about anyone who had grown up in Quel'thalas, was already quite adept at such floral craftsmanship. She didn't let Jaina know this, of course. She just kept weaving the blooms together, letting her hands take over. 

They remembered, even after all this time. They remembered what it was like to be a child, to be free, to just admire the world's wonders. 

Like the way that Jaina stuck her tongue out as she fumbled with a particularly fiddly knot in her own creation. 

“What's the third thing then?” Jaina asked, not even looking up from her work as she did.

“What third thing?” Sylvanas replied, feigning ignorance as she wove a branch studded with dozens of tiny white blooms amongst the bigger and bolder blossoms in her crown.

“The third thing you're bad at,” Jaina reminded her.

Sylvanas let her fingers work a little more. The satisfaction of deftly popping the branch in and out of the gaps in her crown was enough to fill the silence for her, but not for Jaina. No. She supposed she owed her an answer.

“I've been told I'm hard to love,” she finally said.

“Bullshit,” Jaina snapped back immediately, being sure to catch her gaze before she went on. “Total bullshit. Everyone loves you. You are smart, beautiful, and incredibly capable. I mean, look at that crown you just made! Incredible! Yours shits all over mine already!”

“Such language,” Sylvanas said, pretending at offense, even though she thought that her frankness was among one of Jaina's best qualities.

“Seriously now! Have you looked in a mirror lately? Gah, hard to love! No way!” Jaina continued.

If only love were skin deep. Sylvanas knew she was beautiful. That fact had been very apparent to her all her life. It had attracted many people to her, yes, but that wasn't what drove them away. No, it wasn't something so obvious as a crooked smile or an unsightly blemish. She could never seem to keep people around her that weren't bound to stand there.

She could guess why, though. Sylvanas looked down at the crown in her hands, now finished. It was perfect--a beautiful abundance of every shape and color the meadow offered--here studded with bluebells, there a great yellow daisy, sitting like a jewel in the center of it all. 

It was hard for her to make it anything less than perfect. It was hard for her to stop, to be on the same pace as everyone else, to slow down and match pondering roll of the world. She had been told she was frustrating, infuriating, and insensitive. Oh and cold, always cold. 

But she wasn't cold. She hated being called that. She just...she didn't let it show. She didn't let it out. She didn't say anything. She laughed it off and moved on. 

Because she had to. Because so many lives relied on her. Because she didn't have time for any of this. Yet here she was, making time for Jaina, finding excuses, delegating tasks she would never have given away otherwise. And really, she didn’t want to be anywhere else right now.

Sylvanas set her crown on Jaina’s head. It fit her perfectly. Of course it did. “I suppose I should be glad you disagree,” she said as she kissed her.

Jaina laughed into the kiss and flopped her own messy daisy chain over Sylvanas’ head. It wouldn’t have stayed, if it weren’t for her ears. They held it still even as Jaina pulled them both down to the blanket. 

That wasn’t the surprise. No, Sylvanas was prepared, and even caught them both and steadied their fall. 

But this was. “I disagree wholeheartedly,” Jaina told her with another kiss. “You are very easy to love, Sylvanas. Too easy, I think.”


End file.
